There has not been a busier NBA team this summer than the Brooklyn Nets. After making three offseason trades and an NBA-record five first-round picks in June's draft, the rebuilding squad signed Cam Thomas to his one-year, $6 million qualifying offer last week. The signing was the culmination of a failed contract negotiation with the 23-year-old guard.
Thomas' decision to sign his qualifying offer likely signals the beginning of the end of his Brooklyn tenure. It also leaves the Nets with significant cap space and more roster moves to make entering the 2025-26 campaign.
Why Nets have more roster work to do before regular season after Cam Thomas signing
NBA teams are required to spend 90 percent of the salary cap while carrying 15 standard contracts at the start of the regular season. After re-signing Thomas, Day'Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams, Brooklyn is $649,000 below the salary floor with 18 players on standard contracts, four of whom are on non-guaranteed minimum salaries.
If the Nets waive their three lowest-paid players to get down to 15 standard contracts, they will be $6.9 million below the salary floor, meaning they'll have to make a move to add salary before the season.
Brooklyn could sign a free agent or execute another salary dump trade to reach the salary floor. The team has roughly $17 million in remaining cap space and can get to over $24 million by waiving its players on non-guaranteed contracts.
The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly explored trades involving Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre to open space to sign restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. Drummond is on a $5 million expiring contract, while Oubre is in the final year of his deal at $8.38 million. The Nets could absorb either player into their cap space or use the $8.8 million room exception to retain their space. In such a scenario, Philadelphia would attach draft capital or a young prospect as compensation.
While another Brooklyn deal could be coming to reach the salary floor, the team will likely preserve the majority of its cap space entering the regular season, as more teams could be looking to shed salary at the trade deadline.
The Boston Celtics are $4 million above the first apron and $12.1 million below the luxury tax. League sources expect them to try to duck below both before the deadline. Boston has reportedly explored trades involving Anfernee Simons, who is on a $26.7 million expiring contract, after acquiring him from the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Nets could be a trade partner down the line as the NBA's only team with cap space.
